Unless you've been living under a rock, you already know about how Ben Affleck's Batman movie is going through a lot of changes right now. At the end of January, Affleck announced he was stepping down as the blockbuster's director, and there's a search currently underway to find his replacement. It was also reported that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League scribe Chris Terrio has been brought in to rewrite the script. Clearly the Caped Crusader's first solo adventure in the DC Extended Universe is going through a major transitional period, but depending on what elements are being kept, fans could see Jared Leto reprising The Joker.
It's been known for a while now that the Batman movie's main antagonist will be Slade Wilson, a.k.a. Deathstroke, played by Joe Manganiello. However, a new Forbes report reveals that the story was also originally supposed to feature The Joker, along with some other villains who aren't named. The piece doesn't offer any insight about how the Clown Prince of Crime is connected to the one-eyed mercenary, but if he's kept on, this would be Jared Leto's second DCEU appearance, debuting last year in Suicide Squad. Although Joker and Batman were involved in a car chase during the super villain-led blockbuster, Leto and Ben Affleck didn't share any proper screen time, so having their characters finally come face-to-face would be most welcome.
The possibility of seeing villains in the DCEU Batman movie besides Deathstroke is nothing new. Reports of that nature have trickled in for more than a year, and one even claimed that Arkham Asylum would be a setting. However, Jared Leto's Joker has never been specifically named in an official announcement or report. There were also questions about what Jared Leto's future with the DCEU would be given that he was reportedly upset about how many of his Suicide Squad scenes had been cut. Going off the above information, it sounds like he's at least entertaining the possibility of playing Joker again. Deathstroke is challenging enough for Batman to deal with, but Joker can always be counted on to deliver a special kind of chaos.
Even if Jared Leto doesn't appear in the new Batman move, there are other opportunities for him to return to the DCEU. Chief among them is Gotham City Sirens, which will see Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn getting into shenanigans with Poison Ivy and Catwoman. Suicide Squad ended with Joker breaking Harley out of Belle Reve, so it would be easy enough for him to be involved in Harley's life, whether they're still a couple or she's decided to move on from him. If Harley returns for Suicide Squad 2, that's also keeps a door open for a Joker appearance.
Would you like to see Joker show up in the new Batman movie or is he better off staying far away from that particular DCEU entry? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
